Replace Me
by y0ungalaska
Summary: One day. One day changed everything. But seven years later, can it all be saved? Faberry. Side Brittana. And a lot of unresolved feelings.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Replace Me

**Author:** y0ungalaska

**Pairing: **Rachel Berry & Quinn Fabray

**Rating:** T

**Summary:** One day. One day changed everything. But seven years later, can it all be saved? (Oh dear, I suck at summaries)

**A/N: So in honor of all of the FABERRY, I am posting all of my fics. I'm working crazy hours, but I promise to try to update as much as I can. Also, after this, it jumps in time. Consider this a prologue. All characters belong to RIB, I just... like to play with them from time to time ;) (P.S. All mistakes are my own.)**

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><p><strong>Replace Me<strong>

**May 26th, 2012 - The Day Before Graduation: Prologue**

Rachel Berry had always been known as the girl who would ultimately become a big star. And even though half of the school disliked her for one reason or another and the other barely even acknowledged her, the one person, the one constant had always been Quinn Fabray.

The two had carried on this love/hate relationship through their entire high school career, but no matter what, when Quinn was in trouble or needed someone, Rachel would always be there. Even if the blonde wouldn't admit it to herself, Rachel always reached out to try and help in any way that she could.

It was no secret that the brunette wished that she could call the blonde her friend. She'd always thought that, even though the two were on opposite ends of the totem poll when it came to high school, they were so very much alike. She knew what it was like to be ridiculed, knew what it was like to have people expect things of you. She knew what it meant to have to carry on a reputation and live up to it. After all, she was the bright and shining star of McKinley High. Quinn had gone from H.B.I.C, to the pregnant girl, back to H.B.I.C, to the school delinquent and through it all, Rachel had always understood her. _Always_.

And when she'd realize that Quinn was in need of anything, a friend, a shoulder to lean on, she would present herself to the blonde and, for a moment, they would raise the white flags and exist on the same level. It saddened her to see the blonde going through so much and being the head cheerleader and literally the most popular girl in school, it hurt her even more to know that the title meant nothing. No one, no matter how much they swore to care for her well-being, was ever there.

It was _always_ Rachel.

Somewhere between the arguments over Finn Hudson, the constant slaps to the face and the never-ending insults, Rachel found herself falling for Quinn Fabray.

The moment she'd realized it had been one of the scariest times in her life, but true to Rachel Berry form, she threw on a show face and played the part. She would fight for Finn constantly and be there for Quinn when the world seemingly turned their back on her. The fighting over Finn became nothing but another way for Rachel to get the blonde to notice her and, for a while, it worked. She knew that outright asking for the blonde's friendship would ultimately get her shot down, so she took what she could get. Over and over again, always being there for Quinn, always caring and always trying to make her see the error of her ways. And maybe even see the girl standing before her.

But that moment never came.

And so here she stood, the day before graduation, talking herself up in the girls bathroom. It could quite possibly be the last time she'd ever see the blonde and the idea scared her. A life with out Quinn was something that the brunette didn't want to think about and even more so, she didn't want to experience it. So on this day, Rachel Berry was going to throw caution to the wind. She was going to walk up to the blonde, look into those hazel eyes that spoke volumes if anyone actually paid any attention, and she was going to bare her soul.

Hearing the final bell, Rachel looked at herself in the mirror, calmed her breathing, and pushed herself to walk into the halls. She knew, without a doubt, that the one place she could find the blonde would be at her locker. The fleeting thought of it being the last time caused the smile on her face to drop, but only until she stood at the end of the hallway and laid eyes on the blonde.

Quinn stood, true to form, in a white and yellow sundress. Somehow, the sunlight that bounced off the lockers, hit her in the most perfect of ways. Sun-kissed skin shone before her, bringing her smile back times ten and she stood there, watching the girl, hoping with everything in her that Quinn would reciprocate her feelings. Things had been going quite well for the two of them. Of course, it was nowhere near perfect, but at least they were on common ground.

Straightening herself and pulling her books closer to her body, Rachel strolled over to her locker and began mindlessly filling her bag with things that had no matter. Even if they did, the brunette didn't acknowledge it. Her mind was set on her task.

Closing her locker, she turned around and tracked the three steps it took to get to the girl she'd felt like she'd loved forever. Clearing her throat to get Quinn's attention she spoke, "Quinn, may I have a word with you?"

"Sure, Rach." The blonde closed her locker and hoisted her shoulder bag. "What's up?"

"I, um," Rachel berated herself. This was not the time to get cold feet. "well, it's the last day of our entire high school career and I was thinking..."

A perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised, asking her to continue. '_Your words, Rachel. Use your words._'

"I know that we've had what some would like to call a love/hate relationship, you and I. And I know that, through everything, we've pretty much come out okay, don't you think?" Pose a question. That was the perfect idea right now. Otherwise known as the infinite stall.

"Okay..." Quinn answered a bit confused. "I suppose we're good."

"Right. And since we've been on the up and up, so to speak, don't you think, with it being the end of our high school days that we … I mean, that maybe we could, possibly, be more than you know...what we are?"

Quinn watched as those brown eyes caught hers and for a moment, she tried not to lose herself. At the last moment, she pulled herself back and cleared her throat as she watched students passing by, some rejoicing over the end of the school year, others openly gawking at the two of them with no shame. "Where...um, where are you going with this?"

As much as she wanted to just blurt it out, Rachel couldn't find the words. Rachel Berry. Couldn't. Find. The. Words.

"We're friends right, Quinn?" Another question. Another stall.

"Yes..." the blonde let the answer drag out and Rachel could see the wheels turning in her hazel eyes. She was completely clueless and Rachel was obviously not doing a good job or Quinn would have seen right through her. She always had.

"And friends can tell one another anything, correct?" Rachel prodded on, hoping that the line of questioning would lead to Quinn understanding the route she was going. _Please make her understand._

Quinn squinted her eyes and tilted her head. _Yes, Quinn. Please understand this._

"Yes, but I have no idea where you're going with this."

The brunette sighed. Obviously there was no other way to do this than to tell her, flat out, what she was trying to say, what she'd been trying to get Quinn to see for the past year.

"Quinn, there are some...things that I've been meaning to talk to you about and I know that this is the last day of school and there's a chance that we may never even see one another again, but I cannot leave Lima without saying what I have to say." The hallways had emptied, she had no idea how long they'd been standing in that spot, but it didn't matter. Timidly, Rachel reached forward, taking one of Quinn's delicate hands into her own. Looking into those hazel eyes, she waited for a recoil, but it never came. "We've been through so much, Quinn. We've fought over Finn, we've argued, you've slushied me, called me names, practically terrorized me, but all of it never really mattered when thought about in the grand scheme of things. This is...was high school and things like that happen. Reputations have to be upheld whether for the sake of one's sanity or just for the sake of being popular, but throughout all of that, something changed..."

Quinn listened intently to the brunette as she rambled in true Rachel Berry form. It was when the words '_something changed_' were mumbled that she disconnected their hands and stepped away from Rachel. It was as though she'd been slapped in the face and as the realization hit her, she fought with herself. She fought with the conflicts between her head and her heart. Her head screaming to run but her heart begged her to stay, to listen and to reciprocate. She could have...

"No." Quinn muttered as she threw a hand up to stop the brunette. "No. You... we are not doing this. Not now. Not ever."

"Quinn, please, just … listen to me, will you?" Rachel's voice was quietly pleading with her, but Quinn couldn't listen. She wouldn't.

"No. I heard you loud and clear, Berry. No." The use of her last name hit the shorter girl like a freight train. Quinn hadn't called her that for almost five months and it stung. Horribly. "Whatever it is that you're thinking or … or feeling, it can't happen. More importantly, it won't happen. So just... stop. Don't even thinking about saying anything else."

"Quinn," the way the brunette whispered her name almost made her crumble. Almost.

"You can't just... you're not even _gay_, Berry. And for the record, just in case you've forgotten, neither am I. You... you love Finn."

"No, I don't." Rachel, finally finding her voice, stepped in closer only to watch the blonde step away from her again. "I don't love Finn and you know that."

"Don't tell me what I know." Quinn bit back. She needed to make her leave. She needed, for the sake of anything they could possibly become, for Rachel to leave...to get out of Lima and never come back. "It's the end of the year, the end of our high school years. When I walk out that door, I will forget about everything and everyone and start fresh. I don't need this. I don't need..."

"You don't mean that!" Rachel's voice was slightly above a whisper but her voice was frantic.

"I mean it. I won't ever look back on this place and miss one single thing about it. So, you should take that and process it and realize that this," she pointed between the two of them, "this will never be anything more than it is. And after tomorrow, it won't exist."

The breath that Rachel tried to take in wasn't enough for her lungs, no matter how deeply she inhaled. Quinn had just shot her down, badly. She knew it was a possibility, but looking back on the past five months, she swore that what she'd seen, what she'd felt was not only real but mutual. Now, looking into those eyes, those beautiful and tortured hazel eyes, Rachel realized that she was wrong. Her heart broke into a million pieces. Losing at Nationals, every break up with Finn, none of it compared to this moment and before she knew it, the tears were falling. She looked at Quinn one more time, trying to understand, trying to grasp the moment, but it was gone. Pulling her bag closer to herself, she ducked her head and walked past the blonde.

It was truly over.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Replace Me

Author: y0ungalaska

Pairing: Rachel Berry & Quinn Fabray

Rating: T

Summary: One day. One day changed everything. But seven years later, can it all be saved? (Oh dear, I suck at summaries)

**A/N: So, this story, from here on, is set seven years after the first chapter. I wasn't going to update it, but I figured it's been a while so why the hell not. lol. Hope you enjoy it. Also, I'm kind of in love with the way I write Santana... just thought I'd throw that out there ;)**

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><p><strong><strong>_"Come hear it for yourself."_

**April 30th, 2019** -

Quinn sat in her living room, coffee in hand, book open in front of her. She was desperately trying to ignore the sound of her best friend's voice echoing through what should have been her silence. Sighing to herself, she finally closed the book and looked across the table.

"You haven't been listening to a word I've said, have you?" Santana asked sitting back in her chair.

"Well, seeing as I was trying to read..." Quinn stood and made her way to the sink. "All yours now."

"I don't feel like talking anymore." Santana said shrugging her shoulders.

"You are worse than a five year old, do you know that?"

"Yeah, well, whatever. What are you wearing tonight?" The Latina changed the subject.

Quinn sighed. Tonight was the night. It would be the first time in seven years that she would come face to face with Rachel Berry. Every time she allowed her thoughts to wander, they would go straight to the Broadway diva and she would find herself either lost in thought or nervous as hell.

"I don't know," the blonde shrugged, "something nice."

"Nice? Quinn, you've got to be kidding me. Nice? How about something drop dead sexy that will make the midget take one look at you and drown the first row in drool?"

Quinn let out a laugh at the thought of Rachel forgetting her lines and drowning the first row in her own slobber. Then she grimaced. That was just gross.

"It doesn't matter what I wear, Santana. Seven years is a really long time." Quinn spoke her fears as she made her way back to the table, sitting down and immediately pulling a knee to her chest. "I can't walk up to her just expecting her to forgive me. This is Rachel we're talking about."

"Um, do you remember high school? Cause I sure as hell do, and I know the one person who always forgave you was Berry. So stop being all 'poor me' and get your ass upstairs. Put on a smokin' hot dress...and not one of those god-awful sundresses that make you look like one of Jesus' Angels... I'm talkin curves, ass, tits. Show it all. It's all or nothing."

"Jesus' Angels? You can be so...offensive." Quinn spoke with a small smile.

"Tell me something I don't know. Why do you think people love me, Q? It's cause I tells the truth. Straight up."

"Well, for your information, it's a charity event so I can't exactly walk in wearing a sundress."

"Someone's on your side." Santana muttered causing the blonde to reach across the table and swat at her. "You love me, don't lie."

After listening to Santana rant for at least twenty more minutes about what she should wear, Quinn finally pushed her out the front door and sighed into the silence. She had six hours before she needed to be at the theater and she needed the extra time to think, to just be. Her nerves were on end, her stomach felt as though it was going to bottom out at any second and she couldn't get her breathing under control to save her life. She knew that she'd done everything for a reason, but would Rachel know, too? Would she listen to reason? Would she understand why Quinn reacted the way she had that day seven years ago? She could only hope.

Pushing herself off the door, she slowly made her way upstairs and drew herself a hot bath. Ten minutes later, she was sitting in a hot, steamy bath, music low and completely relaxed. Well, as relaxed as one could be before possibly breaking their own heart for the second time in less than ten years.

Quinn stood in front of her full length mirror examining her appearance. She'd changed her dress four times already. Partly because Santana would text and demand pictures and then argue with her about why the dress wasn't the right one. After the fourth one, Santana was finally pleased with what she deemed as 'her work' and told Quinn to break a leg. She also noted that she'd heard that somewhere and it was supposed to mean good luck. Brittany also text her to say good luck and told her that even though Santana was being sort of mean, she was honestly rooting for the two of them. The thought made Quinn smile.

As she made her way down the stairs, her phone rang in her purse once again and she groaned in displeasure just knowing it was Santana. Retrieving it, she hit the answer button without even looking.

"Santana, I swear..." but she was cut off by a male voice, "Whoa there, tiger. Hello to you, too."

"Josh!" She breathed out. "I am so sorry. I thought you were Santana."

He let out a chuckle. "No worries, superstar. I know you've got a big night tonight, but I wanted to know if you'd talked to Rachel at all?"

"Not yet." She fidgeted in her spot at the mention of the brunette. "I haven't actually seen her face to face yet."

"We were in the meeting talking and we're really stoked about getting the go-ahead for the show, but we need her approval, Quinn."

"I know, Josh. I'm going to work on that, but I have to take it one step at a time. If I know Rachel, and I do, I'll mention it and she'll fly off the handle. We didn't exactly leave on good terms..."

"I hear what you're saying, but if we don't get her okay, we're either going to have stop production or cut her character out completely. Without her yes, we could possibly be sued by her people and I love you, Q, but I don't think my career can take being slaughtered by a Broadway diva. The first thing she'll do is sue because we're using her name without her consent and you may be able to afford that, but the company cant." He didn't want to push her, but the idea that she'd presented was something like gold and he really wanted to produce it.

"She's not a diva, Josh. She's a regular person just like everyone else."

"Right. And I'm as rich as Oprah." The two of them shared a laugh. "Just try, okay? We wanna get the ball rolling as soon as possible and I don't mean to pressure you, but the ball is on your court, Fabray."

She sighed. "Ok, ok. I'll...ask her this week sometime."

"'Atta girl. Now, go be the gorgeous woman you are and smile for all the cameras. Don't forget to mention the company in your interviews." She laughed before saying goodbye and tossing her phone in her purse. The night was just beginning and it already looked as though it was going to be a long one.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: It's been a while. I won't bore you with excuses, but I will tell you that FABERRY IS CANON. Tonight's episode has all of my feels all over the damn map. I can't think, but I can update. So bare with me. I hope you like it and I will also say that the next part has been written out. So, hopefully, it'll be up within a week or so. **

**Side note: Do you have any idea what you mean to me? *cue my creys***

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><p>As the cast took their final bow, Quinn clapped and yelled along with the rest of the small theater. Rachel was captivating, to say the least. And her voice was even more beautiful than the blonde had ever remembered it being. She'd sat herself toward the back corner, just in case Rachel could look out and see some of the audience. She wasn't sure if word had gotten to the cast just who was in the crowd, but she'd hoped that for her sake it hadn't. Tonight would be all about surprise.<p>

Walking into the lobby, she was stopped by a few others she'd come to know after moving to L.A. After she'd moved on from them, it was the magazines and the news stopping her to ask questions, take pictures and inquire about the five thousand dollar donation she'd given. Throughout the entire process, she'd only had one thing on her mind: Rachel Berry.

Finally pulling herself away from the cameras, she made her way to the security door that led backstage. Her heart pounded in her chest and she fought to keep her breathing normal. Getting passed the security wasn't going to be a problem as she was a celebrity, but the closer she got, the more nervous she became. '_Hold it together, Fabray_' she chastised herself before greeting the security and walked through the door. Breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth, her hands balled up and then relaxed over and over again. The corridor seemed like the longest fucking hallway in the history of hallways.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but no one is allowed in this room." The man at the door, a very tall and very big man, spoke as he held out a hand, stopping the blonde in her tracks. She was so worked up that she hadn't even thought about the security at the door.

"I'm an old friend of the leading lady." Quinn spoke before clearing her throat. Now was not the time to sound unsure of herself.

"What's your name?" He asked as he rose from his stool.

"Fabray. Quinn Fabray."

"Ok, Miss Fabray. Wait right here. I'll let Miss Berry know that you're here."

Seven years. Seven fucking years of waiting and it all came down to this moment. Would Rachel even allow her into the dressing room? She'd never even thought about that. What if all of this was for nothing and she had to resort to practically stalking the starlet in order to see her? Quinn shook her head, ridding herself of the thoughts. She was Quinn Fabray, she got what she wanted. Always. Santana's voice played in her head and after a moment, she was completely composed and as confident as ever. '_This is it, Q. You gotta go in there, H.B.I.C., and fuck her with your words_.' Quinn laughed at the way her friend always found the oddest way to explain things, but Santana had been right. Quinn needed to be confident, she needed to make Rachel see that she was sure of herself. She needed to be herself.

"Miss Berry," Quinn heard the man speak as he peeked his head in the door, "you have a visitor."

"Whomever it is, tell them I can't sign autographs or take pictures at the moment." Rachel absently replied without even looking up.

"Um, she says she's an old friend of yours."

The term '_old friend_' immediately caught her attention. "Oh? Did she give a name?"

"She said her name is Quinn Fabray."

Rachel stilled all her movements and for a moment, she was even sure that her blood had run cold. He had to be mistaken, right? Seven years. There was no way that Quinn was on the other side of that door. The same girl who'd broken her heart years ago, the same girl who had crushed her like no one else had. Just as fast as the cold had spread throughout her, fire had come to take the place of her insides. In three seconds, Rachel had gone from happy to sad to enraged to completely floored and just curious. Steadying herself, she readjusted herself and rested her eyes back on the mirror. "Send her in."

"Yes ma'am." He answered before turning around to the awaiting blonde. "Miss Berry will see you now."

Quinn raised a perfectly arched eyebrow before stepping inside the dressing room. In Rachel Berry fashion, there were few pictures of Barbara hung on the walls, a gold star hanging just above her head.

"Hello, Rachel." Quinn spoke, her voice low.

"Quinn." Rachel greeted though it lacked that usual Berry excitement. Then again, what could the blonde really expect? Seven years ago she had willingly broken the woman who sat a few feet from her.

"Brilliant show. You were amazing, of course." Quinn offered the compliment as she stepped a few feet closer. The movement halted Rachel and she caught those brown eyes looking back at her in the mirror. Every emotion she could possibly think of flashed behind them in less than three seconds. It was almost overwhelming.

"Thank you." Rachel broke eye contact with the blonde just at the right moment because, if you let her tell it, three more seconds and she could have thrown every thought out the window and leaped into Quinn's arms. No questions asked.

The two sat in silence for a moment, Rachel removing her stage make-up and Quinn glancing around the room. Neither really knowing what to say.

"Why are you here, Quinn?" Rachel asked, her voice lacking the confidence she was trying to put forth. Seven years later and this woman still had the same affect on her; one look and she could take every breath Rachel Berry had.

"Well," Quinn cleared her throat slightly, "It's a charity event and I wanted to see a good show." Her eyes cut to the mirror for a moment before finding something else to focus on. "And I knew you'd be here."

"So you gave to charity just to possibly talk to me?"

"Not exactly, no. The cause is something I believe in. I've been supporting it since I could afford to give back and the show, you being here, just happened to be the cherry on top, so to speak."

"I see." Rachel answered and then went back to taking off her make-up. They sat in silence, once again, before Quinn spoke.

"Is it such a bad thing that I wanted to see you?"

"I just don't understand why you would." Rachel answered quickly.

Quinn shrugged her shoulders before mindlessly running her fingers over a stack of magazines. "We all have our reasons, Rach."

Rachel finally rose to her feet, pulling her silk robe tighter to her body. "I will never understand you."

"You never seemed to have a problem before." Quinn spoke. "In fact, if I remember correctly, you were the only one who ever really did."

Rachel let herself relax for a moment. She couldn't possibly understand what Quinn's motives were at the moment. Sure, she'd been wrapped up in the New York lifestyle, but she'd been sure she still owned her people skills; her keen ability to read people. But as she stood there, looking at the blonde, she had no idea what to say or what to do. "That was a long time ago, Quinn. Things have changed."

"Have they?" The blonde asked as she stood in front of the brunette. For the first time in seven years, she allowed her eyes to rake over the shorter woman; she studied the lines in her face, the way her mouth twitched, her frame. She studied everything about her.

"Of course, they have. How can you even ask that? It's been...a really long time. Everything has changed."

"Hmm." Quinn twisted her mouth as she appeared to be thinking. "Well, let's start over."

Rachel's shoulders fell as she sighed. How could this woman think it was that easy? It wasn't. Nothing was ever that easy. "It's not that easy, Quinn. We can't just...go back."

"Sure we can. I say we start with lunch." The blonde offered up.

"I don't... I mean, I'm not sure."

"Come on, Rachel. What could it hurt? We can go somewhere public. I know this great place in West Hollywood. They serve the best food I've probably ever eaten. We can talk."

Rachel eyed the taller woman for a moment. She was conflicted. A part of her was telling her to say yes. Make that most of it. But the other part? The other part was telling her to not get involved. To run as fast as her legs could carry her back to her life in New York, back to safety. There were many ways that this lunch date could go... wait, date? Who said anything about a date? No matter, it could go many ways and the way that Rachel had been acting for the past seven years, she was sure to have some sort of outburst during this...lunch. So if she were to agree to this, it would have to be private.

But was that what she wanted? Could she handle being alone, in a room, with the woman who held her heart, her everything even still? Stress. Rachel could feel the beginning of a headache forming behind her eyes as she reached up to rub her temples. This was all too much to take in, in one night. But looking at Quinn standing before her, something in her eyes compelled the brunette to speak before she could analyze any thing else. "On one condition..."

Quinn nodded slowly, letting her tongue graze her bottom lip. "Anything."

"No public places. Seven years is a long time and I'm afraid that I'll blow up or something." Rachel waved her hand in between them. She watched as that perfectly arched eyebrow raised. "Just, you know, in case."

"Fine, private it is." Quinn tried with everything in her to stop the smile that was aching to show itself. "Yours or mine?"

The question posed itself and was meant to be meaningless, but Rachel Berry and her erratic mind took it to places it probably shouldn't have gone. Bringing herself back down to Planet Quinn she answered, "My hotel is fine. I'll be in town for a week. So anytime between now and then?"

"Tuesday, I'm free. All day." Quinn answered. "Good for you?"

"Yes, Tuesday is fine."

"Okay then, Tuesday it is." The blonde allowed her smile to show briefly before awkwardly wondering if she should hug the girl or just walk out. She'd never really hugged Rachel before, but she felt an overwhelming urge to do so now. Clearing her throat and settling on the no physical contact rule she stepped away from the brunette, "I'll um, I'll see you Tuesday."

"Wait," Rachel called after her, "you don't even know where I'm staying."

"This is L.A., Rach. Everyone knows where you're staying." The smile that had been threatening to show itself all night had now finally done so and surprisingly enough, she'd gotten one in return. It wasn't that Rachel Berry smile that lit her insides on fire, but for now, it would have to do. Opening the door, Quinn turned around, offered a wave and let the door close behind her.

This was a step in the right direction.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm not even going to lie, I LOVE writing Santana. There's something about her character that calls to me. I think, writing this fic, I've come to channel my S. Lopez pretty well. Well, so far anyway. Bla Bla bla... hope you like the update!**

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><p>Monday morning came bright and early for the hazel eyed beauty, but it didn't phase her. She was still reeling off of the high she'd been riding since the night before. Of course, Santana called her at like one in the morning because that was the most logical thing to do and after promising she'd tell her everything at work, the Latina agreed and hung up. But not without threatening her within an inch of her life.<p>

Morning coffee on, Quinn found herself humming along to her new favorite band and dancing around the room. She had to laugh at herself because, for a moment, she felt like a seventeen year old again. After her morning cup of coffee, she breezed through her morning routine and found herself on the 405, heading into work. The traffic wasn't too bad, not that she cared; her windows her down and the same band was blasting from her speakers.

Twenty minutes later and she was walking in the door, heading straight for her office. The beginning of production was starting today and although they hadn't gotten Rachel Berry on board, Quinn had convinced Josh to move forward assuring him that it would indeed happen. Roles had been cast, scripts handed out and now, everyone was getting ready for the mid afternoon table read for the first couple of scenes. Quinn sat flipping through papers, but turned her attention to the door as it flung open to reveal a Latina.

"Spill it, Blondie."

"Good morning to you too, Santana." Quinn said with a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, that doesn't even matter right now. Tell me what happened with midget."

Just then, the door opened again to reveal a young woman, no older than twenty. She called out to Quinn and was waved in by the blonde. "What's up, Katie?"

"Well, I was wondering what time the actual table read was? I am dying for a Starbucks and I saw one down the street. Also, on page six of the script," she flipped to the page and began voicing her thoughts as the two women watched on. Quinn assured her that it would all be taken care of during the table read. Quinn watched as the young girls' eyes wandered to her right and immediately doubled in size.

"You're Santana Lopez," she spoke with a hint of excitement.

"I'm pretty sure I know my own name." Santana quipped back with a look of confusion.

"That's so cool!" The girl replied with excitement, completely disregarding the hint of attitude that laced the Latina's words. "I'm you, too."

"Wait, what?" Santana looked to Quinn for an answer. "What the hell is she talking about?"

Quinn, who had seen the entire thing coming, had gone back to her paper work. "She's playing you in the TV show."

"The hell she is. She couldn't hold a candle to me. Look at her," Santana spoke in true Santana form as she eyed the girl from head to toe, "I brings it LHA style."

Katie stood, looking between the two of them, confusion written all over her face.

"Ugh, you're fired." Santana said waving her off, causing the girl to look to Quinn who was trying her hardest to stifle a laugh. It may have been unprofessional, but the fact that Santana could still get under people's skin with her act always amazed and humored her.

"You're not fired, Katie," she finally spoke and a look of calm settled over the young actress. "That's just Santana being Santana."

"No, that's me keepin' it real. You don't have it in you, kid. You're soft like Kurt's under grown baby face."

"Who's Kurt?" The girl asked once again confused.

"Seriously?" Santana asked Quinn with a look of annoyance playing her features.

"Katie, how about you go and find Brittany, our director, and see if she can assist you. If not, I'll be there in a bit. And you have," Quinn briefly looked at her watch, "an hour before the read. Plenty of time for that coffee you want."

"Ok, Miss Fabray," the young girl answered before making her way out of the room without making eye contact with the fiery Latina.

"You know she's scared shit-less, right?" Quinn asked, finally allowing the laugh she'd been holding in to escape.

Santana shrugged. "Serves her right. I've got a rep to keep up. She's as soft as newborn kittens, Q. She needed the push."

The Latina, all of a sudden remembering why she'd left her sexy girlfriend to harass Quinn in the first place, took a seat and pointedly looked at the blonde without saying a word. Quinn glanced up from her papers and raised an eyebrow. Santana Lopez had INVENTED that eyebrow and proceeded to raise her perfectly sculpted one in return.

"Spill. Tell me all about midget."

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't just revert back to high school and I would really appreciate it if you would use her actual name." Quinn stated matter-of-factly before dropping her eyes again.

Sighing because she knew it was the only way she'd get what she wanted, Santana spoke, "Berry."

"Rachel." Quinn retorted, correcting her friend.

"What?" Santana answered a bit caught off guard.

"Her name is Rachel, Santana."

"Like she'd ever let anyone forget," The brunette scoffed. "And I'll take your deflection of the topic as a good thing. So? What happened? I want all the details."

"There are no details. The production was beautiful, we talked, and we're having lunch tomorrow." Quinn answered briefly before hearing her best friend huff in annoyance.

"Seven years of me having to listen to you whine about her and all you did was agree to lunch? Have I taught you nothing?" Santana was now sitting up and leaning toward the desk.

"Excuse me?"

"In order to get all up in Berry's BERRY, you gotta woo her, Q." Santana stated firmly.

"I'm not trying to...get all up in her... berry. Where do you even come up with this?" The blonde asked kind of stunned.

Santana pointed to herself. "Genius, duh. But that's not the point. The point is you've been pining over this girl for like... as long as I've known you. I mean, you basically broke her heart, ripped it to pieces and set it on fire in front of her all while daring her to say something..."

Quinn placed a hand in the air to stop Santana before she could even begin. "Can we not rehash this, Santana?"

"What? I'm just sayin," Santana lifted her hands in surrender, "it's gonna take more than lunch to get her back. And not to be all pushy, but if getting you two together faster means less manhands talk, I'm all for the reunion."

"You have an amazing way with words, do you know that?" The blonde asked with a laugh.

Santana sat back in her seat, appeased with her progress and shrugged. "Genius."


End file.
